Sweets and Sorrow
by BecauseHeroesNeverDie
Summary: One could never think ordinary with Yuffie, you had to think extraordinary. Yuffie was one of those poeple who could really change your life. *Yuriku*
1. Chapter 1

"Do you even KNOW how to smile?" She smiled brightly at him. Yuffie (The Great overly cheerful, hyper-active and annoying to boot, ninja) tugged at his wrist, preparing to drag him, if necessary.

"If my hand comes off, it's your fault," Riku grumbled.

"Come on! It's not so bad! Learn to live a little!" Yuffie laughed, pulling him onward. He was the latest victim of Yuffie's mission to make the whole universe happy. Who knew where she could be dragging him? He gave up and trailed glumly behind her. He sighed. It was this, or get his arm ripped off. Yuffie was one persistent person.

"So, what torture will I have to go through first?" Riku asked, irritated.

"I think we should go on that huge rollercoaster first!" Yuffie exclaimed excitedly. She handed some money over to the ticket holder and then they entered the park.

Yuffie ran, dancing and twirling, all the way to the enormous ride placed directly in the middle of the park.

After waiting in a ridiculously long line for over an hour, it was finally their turn to go on. Somehow Yuffie was STILL more excited than humanly possible.

The ride whipped past, turning quickly and plummeting often. Riku had been on far faster and more dangerous things in his life, but Yuffie had obviously overestimated her stomach's ability to take that kind of ride.

She hobbled off as soon as the belt was taken off.

"Riku, I don't feel soo-" She leaned forward and vomited all over Riku. Yuffie staggered forward shakily. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and dashed her over to the nearest trash can. Riku wasn't about to risk getting anymore Yuffie vomit on his pants and shirt, which were already spattered with puke.

Yuffie pulled her head out of the trash can and smiled. She glowed with pure joy when she smiled but-

"You have puke on your face." Riku pointed out, bluntly. She rubbed at the liquid dribbling out of her mouth.

"I don't think I can go on any other big rides today," she said, smiling weakly. "Hope you aren't disappointed."

"No, it's fine. It's always been a dream of mine to be thrown up all over,"Riku muttered sarcastically. Then he said, louder."Why not just walk around a bit? Play a couple of games?"

"How 'bout that one?" Yuffie suggested, pointing to a booth with a sign proclaiming, in shinning lights and brilliant colors, **KNOCK DOWN THREE MILK BOTTLES IN THREE TRIES, WIN A PRIZE!! **

Riku went up to the booth and payed the fee. He received three baseballs. he aimed for the center, hitting his target perfectly.

"You can take your prize off the top, but you can take anything." The man said pointing in a sweeping motion taking in everything from the makeshift prize table up to the stuffed toys hanging from the booth's top.

"Ohh! Get that one, it looks so soft and fuzzy and adorable!" Yuffie screeched, reaching for a moogle plushie.

"Ok, I guess, we'll take that one!" Riku laughed, he knew she'd probably start whining about it anyway, so why not just let her get something?

"Yay!" Yuffie pulled the moogle down, snuggling it to her chest. "It is soft and absolutely adorable!" They walked down the boothed streets, Yuffie ranting about that moogle plushie the whole time.

"So, I'll name her Kitty! I'll be her Auntie Yuffie!" She laughed, happily shoving the moogle, now "Kitty", in Riku's face. "Say 'hi' to Uncle Riku, Kitty!" She made Kitty's arm go up and down in a waving motion, then pulled it back into her lung-squishing hug.

I'd hate to see her with a real moogle, Riku thought. His mind conjured the image of Yuffie squeezing the life out of a poor moogle, as it attempted to break free, its paws clawing at the air for dear life. Riku laughed at the thought.

"Why Kitty?" He asked, curious.

"She's cute like a kitten." Yuffie answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Well, Kitty says to let Uncle Riku hold her, because Auntie Yuffie is crushing her internal organs," Riku interpreted for Kitty.

"But, Kitty doesn't want to be covered in puke!" Yuffie protested.

"I wouldn't be covered in puke, if you hadn't thrown up on me." Yuffie was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Let's get some ice cream!" She yelled out, grabbing his wrist.

"Not again," he sighed. This was going to be a very long rest of the day. "Don't you think it's a little too soon to be eating?"

"Of course not! The ice cream is calling!" She ran off, giving up her attempt to drag him.

"Fine," he mumbled. "Wait up!" He yelled a second later, running after her. After a few seconds, he reached her.

"Hummm...I don't know, there's so many flavors," Yuffie looked up at the list. There were many different types to chose from, and she enjoyed most of them.

"Just chose already and get on with your life!" Riku said. She turned her head to see that he was behind her.

"Do you want anything?" She asked him.

"Not particularly." He replied.

"I'll take two strawberry soft-serves with those chocolate crust-coating thingys, please." Yuffie ordered, ignoring Riku. The lady at the stand scooped out the ice cream and dipped it in the sauce. After waiting for it to harden, she handed the cones to Yuffie, who in turn, gave her money to pay for them."Thanks," she said happily, shoving the other cone into Riku's hand.

"What if I'm allergic to strawberries?" He asked.

"You are?" She readied herself to snatch the cone back from him.

"No, but--" Riku started, only to be interrupted.

"Then, eat it!" She said. "I didn't just buy that for nothing!"

"I guess, it won't kill me.." He sighed. "I suppose it must be edible." He took a bite, crunching the chocolate and just reaching the cold strawberry ice cream inside.

"What do you think?" Yuffie jumped. "Isn't it awesome?!"

"It's okay. Pretty good," he answered, taking another bite. "So, what's next?"

"I say we should try another ride after we eat these!" Yuffie bounced, taking a bite of her ice cream as she landed.

"Do we really have to go through THAT again?"

"No, not the whole throwing up episode, just maybe the Ferris Wheel or the Merry-Go-Round." Yuffie explained.

"Ok, that seems fine," Riku looked over at the Ferris Wheel. It wasn't really all that high up, but maybe, just maybe, you could see the ocean and the horizon from up there. And it was almost sunset. Just like a little taste of home. He wasn't the nostalgic type, but he had to admit it...he missed the sun, sand, ocean, and most of all, his friends.

A small part of him missed the feeling of the place. The timelessness, and the unchanging air of it. The absolute certainty that it would always be the same. But, most of him still hated that. A place for dreaming and nothing more.

"Then, shouldn't we be heading over?" Yuffie spoke, breaking into his thoughts, pushing him partially back to the sunny street and the ice cream cone

melting all over his hand.

"Yeah," he said, still half in his thoughts.

They began the walk to the Ferris Wheel. They had just finished their ice creams, when Yuffie began to get worried.

"I hope Kitty doesn't fall of the ride," she fussed, clutching the moogle plushie.

"Don't worry, Kitty'll be fine," Riku reassured, then added,"If Kitty falls, I'll catch her."

"Thanks!" Yuffie smiled and hugged him. Good thing she didn't hug people like she hugged Kitty. She pulled away, making Kitty give him a little kiss on the cheek. Kitty felt soft against his face. "Kitty says thanks, too!"

"Your welcome," he gave Kitty a pat on the head. Wow, Yuffie was right, that was one soft plushie.

Luckily for them, the line for the Ferris Wheel wasn't too long.

They got on and the safety bars were lowered over them. The wheel begun its assent, stopping at certain intervals to allow each group to get to see the view at the top.

"Wow," Yuffie gasped when they'd reached the top. The view was perfect. The sun set a golden crimson intertwined with shades of orange and pink. The ocean reflected the colors, adding the glittering tint of sunshine on water. Then the ride continued in its descent and the skyline became obscured from view. They reached the ground and were let off.

"It's kinda late, maybe we should head out." Yuffie skipped, heading in the direction of the bus stop.

"When does the bus come anyway?" Riku inquired, looking around for a clock.

"Probably in a half hour. Those things come, like every hour or so." Yuffie answered with certainty.

"Yeah, then let's go!" They started down the path. Riku looked up at the sky, nearly night already.

"Not too bad a day." He mumbled to himself. They actually hadn't done that much. They'd arrived late in the day, so they'd probably only spent a few hours in the park (about half of that waiting in lines.).

"Ohh! Don't the lights look pretty?!" She asked staring around at all the carnival lights and lanterns strung between the booths and across the streets. The effect was muted luminescent hues of soft yellows, blues, greens, reds, and pinks battling against flashy neon lights, sparkling brightly against the deepening blue sky.

Yuffie danced across the street, spinning and twirling. She stepped forward haphazardly and-

"AHHH!" She yelled as she started to fall. She'd tripped on a discarded soda can. Riku dashed at her, quickly catching her and setting her upright.

"You should be more careful!" Riku laughed.

"What's so funny? I could have seriously injured myself," Yuffie fumed, then began to laugh. "Just imagine that! Going into the emergency room and saying 'I tripped over an empty soda can, I believe I may have broken something'!"

Riku laughed again, imagining Yuffie standing in front of a hospital reception area, explaining her injuries to the receptionist.

"I'll make sure you don't kill yourself on a candy wrapper or something," Riku grinned. So, with that they began to continue on their way. Riku looked down to check if the aforementioned candy wrapper was positioned for the attack. Something else caught his eye instead. His hand holding Yuffie's. "Oh, sorry." He said, pulling his hand away.

"No, that's fine. Hey, I want to ask you something," Yuffie said, reaching for his hand.

"What is it?" He asked. Yuffie was one different person, he'd learned that. Not just today, but all those other times he'd talked to her. Who knew what she'd say? He tried to be prepared, but he was going to be surprised by whatever she was going to ask.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked in a serious voice, looking up at the sky. That had certainly caught Riku off guard.

He basically had three plans of action he could use for this one. He could be honest and spill his guts on her in the process. He could just ignore the question and try to change the subject. Or he could lie, but he didn't want to lie to Yuffie.

They'd almost reached the park entryway. Just on the other side of the street was the Gummi-

stop. Most everyone just called it the Bus stop, and the ships buses. Riku saw the opportunity to escape the question easily. If only Yuffie wasn't asking it. He knew her enough to know she was going to keep asking until she got an answer.

She'd done this to him before today, too. She seemed to be an expert at asking questions you didn't want to answer. Questions some people didn't want to answer, even if it was only to themselves. She liked to get her answer and she was waiting for his.

"What are you afraid of?" Yuffie interrogated, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Nothing," he mumbled, breaking off her gaze, by turning his head away. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"There's nothing wrong with being afraid of things," Yuffie said, looking at him.

"Being afraid makes you weak." Riku replied. He thought of another time when he'd thought like this. He cringed internally. That hadn't ended up very well.

"Being scared doesn't make you weak, it makes you human." Yuffie said, quietly. She turned her gaze away from Riku and at the way ahead. They were almost at the entryway.

"What are_** YOU**_ scared of?" Riku pounced her own question upon her.

"Hummm..I guess, I'm scared that...uhh...I don't really know. It's just so hard to lock on one thing." She smiled at him. "How 'bout we think about this for a while? Then give each other the answer when we're ready," she suggested.

"Sure," Riku laughed. He should have figured to spring Yuffie's own question on her.

They reached the gate and slipped through it. Then, Riku and Yuffie crossed the street. They sat down on the bench situated on the sidewalk for the purpose of waiting for buses. Yuffie yawned and her head fell against his shoulder.

"You don't want to fall asleep before the bus shows," Riku smiled, prodding her shoulder gently.

"Sorry," her words were half-yawning, half-spoken. "I did some work before we left and now, I'm just drained."

"Ok, then. I'll wake you up when it comes," Riku offered.

"Thanks," she yawned again, nodding off.

Riku stared at the road ahead, thoughtful.

So, what's the answer, Riku? He asked himself. When Yuffie wanted an answer, he'd have to say SOMETHING. He knew quiet well what he was scared of the most. But, could he really say it to someone? He sat there, pondering.

Brilliant lights appeared on the road ahead. The bus skidded to a halt in front of the stop.

It wasn't a regular sort of bus. It was equip like a Gummi ship and worked similarly to one. One could use it to travel to other worlds. All the bus really did was hold a lot more people.

"Wake up, Yuffie," he shook her. She slept right through that. He figured trying to wake her up any longer would result in the bus just leaving without them. He slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other under her legs. He lifted her up, careful not to let Kitty fall from her loose, drowsy grip.

Riku walked up the stairs into the inside of the bus.

"Fare for two?" The driver smiled kindly at him. She'd been driving the bus earlier and she must have remembered them. Or it wasn't an unusual thing for anyone to be dragging around another's body. "Just put her down on that front seat."

"Thanks," he placed Yuffie down on the first seat and pulled some munny out of his pocket. As soon as he'd payed their fares, he walked over to the seat he'd laid Yuffie on.

She was partially slouching, slipping slightly off the seat. She seemed likely to just fall out of the seat. He sat down next to her, pulling her up and wrapping an arm securely around her shoulders, so she didn't fall over.

The bus was half-filled and gradually emptying out. By the looks of it, their stop was coming up soon.

Riku looked out the window. The universe seemed to swirl past. In a way, it did. Each world was just a minuscule piece of a much greater universe, everything adding up to a bigger picture. A mere fragment of everything. A little piece wasn't worth much. Useless...right? Did each tiny bit really matter?

And, there were so many people. In a place so vast, was each person really all that important?

The bus slowed and the blurred universe came into focus. A million sparkles of light illuminating a dark sky. Each star shed light. Each place meant something to someone. It sped up again, preparing to land.

It made its descent as Riku sat, feeling smaller than he'd almost ever felt, and pondering this place. This universe of endless possibilities, hopes, memories, lives, and heartbreaks. This place (or chain of places) held so much. And this was just a small piece he was seeing.

The ground slowly came into view. Riku closed his eyes and looked away from the window as soft white lights, stone buildings, and the shadows of lush gardens appeared, filling the space the sky had just occupied. Now the whole universe felt small and cramped, trapped into this world that was so tiny in comparison.

Radiant Garden.

The bus landed on the ground, the door flinging open for those who would be leaving, and maybe even entering, at this stop.

Riku sighed. He glanced at the clock. The Gummi buses stopped running in about an hour and a half. Not enough time to circulate the rest of the worlds and come back here. Looked like he was stuck here for tonight.

"Yuffie, we're here." He shook her, expecting no response.

"Wha...?" Yuffie's eyes opened, surveying the bus. "I guess I fell asleep. Sorry, you must have had to pick me up or something. Am I heavy or anything?" She grinned at Riku.

"Like a sack of bricks," he said, laughing.

"It's every girl's dream to be told she is as heavy as a sack of bricks,"Yuffie retorted, sarcasm invading her tone. They both laughed. Yuffie hadn't been hard to carry at all.

"We'd better leave, before we hold up the bus." Riku commented. He and Yuffie exited the bus.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Yuffie queried, as they walked.

"No," Riku answered. It looked like she'd had an idea and it seemed that whatever it was, she'd get it to work. She'd stick to it directly. "Why?"

"I'd really like to see the world were you came from. The islands." Yuffie answered easily. Well, it wasn't hard to put two and two together and see what she had in mind.

"You really wouldn't like it...it's so...dull." Riku said nervously. He'd been avoiding going back there for a while...He'd left awhile after everyone had settled back into the lull that was daily life on Destiny Islands.

"I bet I'd love it. We'll go, even if I have to drag you by the arm again," she threatened with a mischievous grin.

"I don't think--It's just--I haven't been there in a while and--" Riku stuttered, attempting to explain why he didn't want to go.

"You're avoiding it, aren't you?" She grabbed his hand. "Do you feel like a sort of add on? Because..." She trailed off.

"I'm alone, or something," Riku finished, pulling his hand out of her grip. He didn't need any pity or anything like that. Especially not Happy, Hyper Girl's. What did she know, anyway? She didn't know how he felt. He didn't need "sympathy". He figured he was simply one of her "missions". That was it. And, then, here she was going all "shrink" on her. It wasn't like he wanted her around, anyway. He couldn't believe he'd started to like her...He had to get away.

"You don't have to be alone all the time. You have friends." Kitty lectured him. He returned the plushie moogle's dead-eyed stare with an angry glare. Yuffie was talking through Kitty. She burst into a fit of giggles.

"What is it?" Riku questioned, irritated.

"You're--glaring at -- a-- plushie!" She choked in between spurts of laughter. Riku laughed, too, imagining how stupid he must have looked glaring at that thing. Yuffie snagged up his wrist, pulling him onward.

"What was that for?" His mood was in the middle now, partly irritated, and half way willing to laugh.

"So, can we go?! Can we go?! Can we please, please go?!" Yuffie begged.

"I suppose..." He didn't really want to go, but he had to face going back someday. You can never run forever, and he knew it.

"YAY!" Yuffie clapped, releasing his wrist from her iron clasp grip.

After Yuffie had calmed down a little, they continued to walk towards where she lived.

"Looks like this is where I take my leave," he said in a mock formal voice, bowing slightly. Yuffie laughed quietly.

"Good night." Yuffie hugged him. He leaned closer and his lips brushed her cheek softly. It made him feel nervous, scared. He was pushing his emotions straight to his sleeves. He was showing

that he liked her. He pulled away quickly, making kiss a simple light touch, barely anything.

"Sorry," Riku mumbled. They both stood staring at each other awkwardly. He could feel the hot red smear smudging rapidly across his cheeks.

"That's fine," Yuffie hugged onto Kitty, her face blushing bright red.

"How many other people do you do these outings with?" Riku asked the question that had started out as a small thought at the back of his mind, now clawing its way to his lips.

"Not many," Yuffie finally said. "Only those who really need some cheer!"

"What about the interrogations?" He asked. He felt sorry for anyone that had to deal with that.

"Sorry, but that kind of pure torture is reserved for you." Yuffie joked. "I ask questions, but I try not to get too personal. Sorry, if I have."

Riku stood there. He'd immediately assumed that she did that to everyone. Why did she go out to ask him questions that made him examine himself as completely as possible? He didn't get that. He already knew what he was like.

"Where are you staying? I bet Aerith could get you in an extra room!" Yuffie jumped into motion, pulling Riku along for the ride, once more. She ran through the door of a nearby building. "Aerith!"

"Yes, Yuffie. What is it?" Aerith came into the main room. The back of the center they worked in had a nice section of living quarters, which was, if one wants to be as basic as possible is just a bunch of bedrooms and stuff.

"Can Riku stay in the guest room?" Yuffie asked.

"Sure, why not?" Aerith smiled welcomely at Riku. "I'll just show him the way. Maybe I could get you a change of clothing?" She asked in a kindly hostess fashion. We can all suppose Aerith liked a guest around to busy herself with some extra work.

"I'm ok, you don't have to-" Riku started.

"No, no you need something better to sleep in," Aerith left, returning in a few minutes later with a T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. "Here you go," she handed them to Riku.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.

"We should show you to your room," Yuffie suggested, starting to walk down one of the hallways. She opened a door. "How about this one?"

Riku stepped inside the room.

"Good night," Yuffie smiled at the doorway, closing the door softly.

Riku changed into the clothes and looked around the room. He neatly piled his dirty shirt and pants on the chair of the desk sitting next to a window. There were thick green curtains pulled across the window.

Riku opened the curtains and silver steaks of moonlight spread along the floor. He pulled open the window and leaned out, staring at the sky. The moon was full and the stars shone, sprinkled in their complicated patterns all over the night's black dome.

The streets were bathed in cold silver light. It looked beautiful. The shadows and moonbeams blending in perfect tones. If Riku could paint, this would make his hands itch longing for a brush and canvas to immortalize this amazing sight.

He sighed, a gentle night breeze tossing his silver hair softly. Riku closed his eyes, and breathed in the night. It was a wonderful feeling. He opened his eyes and stared at the scene for another moment,

memorizing it. Every time Riku saw something that amazed him about a world, he tried to keep an image of it in his head. Every intricacy and detail, everything that made it what it was.

Riku pulled back, closing the window, but keeping the curtains open. He laid down on the bed, pulling the blanket over him.

He fell asleep with two images filling his mind. The beauty of this place, and Yuffie's smiling face.


	2. Chapter 2

**_My little author's corner: Hey everyone, I'm back! I don't think this chapter is too great, but I guess I tried. _**

--

Riku opened his eyes to golden streams of light pouring from the curtains.

It was impossible to even consider that somewhere else there was a place that wasn't filled to the brim with this beautiful light. That place, if one was to believe it even existed, had to be far away...

It was also hard to believe that darkness was real. Or, if it was, that it held any power. But, there it lingered as Riku sprang from the bed. He stood in the light, his black shadow trailing behind him. Just as it always had. The ever-present, ultimate stalker.

It seemed to Riku the darkness would never fade. Sometimes he still doubted it was worth fighting, if it would just return once more. The dark always seemed to come back for that encore no one in their right mind called for.

Yet light came back, too. And it always came back stronger and more wondrous than ever. It carried hope. Still darkness returned eventually...

Riku shed these thoughts with a quick shake of his head. Best not lose himself in this miserable train of thought. Better to cut it off now and try to let it lie. Most likely, though it would never be laid to rest. Those grim thoughts would return, as they had many times before.

He began to walk toward the door, his pursuer, a shadowy shape, close behind him. He caught sight of his clothes stacked neatly on top of the desk. Hadn't he put them on the chair?

Riku picked up his shirt and unfolded it. No stain. Someone must have washed it.

He changed back into his regular clothes and then made the bed. He walked over to the window and opened it, poking his head out. The sky was a blue filled with endless possibilities. Not one cloud obscured the perfect blue.

The heavy curtains almost fluttered in the wind, moving gently back and forth. Reluctantly, Riku closed the window and left the room.

He stepped into the hall, gazing around at the other doors. They were all closed. Riku closed his door, walking out into the hall.

"Good morning, sleepy-head!" Yuffie's voice greeted him, as he entered the main room. She smiled over at him from the chair she was seated in. "Do you_ know_ how _looong_ you were _asleep_?"  
She questioned in a joking manner.

"A long time?" He honestly didn't have any idea how long he'd slept. He supposed it must be late morning or early afternoon. It looked like that from the way it was outdoors.

"It's, like, 11 O'clock," Yuffie answered.

Riku hadn't slept like that in a while. He usually slept very little, aroused by nightmares in the night and not wanting to have to face the darkness behind his own eyes. That had to have been the most refreshing rest he'd had since he first left Destiny Islands. Though, back then he never had a reason to be so exhausted. It'd been such a long time, since he'd seen the shores of Destiny Island. Speaking of which, didn't Yuffie want to drag him there _today?_

Maybe she'd forgotten.

"So, when are we leaving?" Yuffie asked. So much for forgetting. Looked like he was stuck. He was going, no matter what.

"Now, I guess. If you want." Riku replied.

"Not now, you haven't had breakfast," Yuffie said.

"Oh, I don't need anything," Riku returned. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten breakfast. He could function perfectly well without it.

"You're going to eat it, and you will like it! I had to reheat it already. I figured you were an early bird, but I guess, I was wrong!" Yuffie laughed at her attempt at a mock angry voice. She tugged him by the wrist (once again), toward the door he supposed must lead to a kitchen.

A plate sat on the table. It had a couple of French toast and a strip of bacon on it. A glass of vivid orange juice was standing next to the plate. Three, or four, bright yellow flowers poked out of a vase. It shined deep blue. The clear blue light sprang from the vase, as the sunlight's rays tilted into it from the window over the sink.

"Oh, Yuffie," he said stepping back toward the hall. "But, you didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did, and you are having it! And you will like it!" Yuffie threatened with an evil grin. She shoved him forward, back into the kitchen. He sat down at the chair and mimed the waving of a small flag.

"You win!" He laughed with another wave of his imaginary surrender flag. He picked up the fork and took up a tiny chunk of the food. He immediately regretted it. Yuffie was no cook.

Riku gulped down about a quarter of the orange juice cup to wash it down. He attempted not to gag, as he slid his face into a grin and turned his head to look up at Yuffie. "What did you put in this stuff?" He decided bluntness was the absolute best course of action.

"Come on! It can't be that bad?" Yuffie pouted. "You have to at least give me points for effort, right?" She stood near the table directly across from him.

"You try it!" Riku shoved the plate at Yuffie. It scraped against the surface of the table. As it reached her, she immediately pushed it away.

"No way! You already ate out of that!" Yuffie composed herself into a typical bratty stance, arms crossed and lips in a solid pout. Her laugh ruined it. She began to laugh harder, breaking out of position and sitting down in the seat next to him.

She stopped for a couple seconds, taking large breaths in an attempt calm down, then collapsing into a fit of giggles.

"I'll try it, just to prove you wrong! I can cook!" She determined after a silence. Most likely to ensure no giggling would break into her determination. She snatched the fork away from him and rubbed it hard against her shirt until she deemed it "sterile". Yuffie straightened her back primly and took a bite. She nearly died. "Wow! That's nasty!" She yelled, after she'd swallowed the worst cooking atrocity known to man.

"I was right!" Riku gloated playfully, punching his fist in the air. Yuffie got up and stomped on the lever of the trash can. The top popped open, and she dumped the contents of the plate into the trash.

"I don't think that even belonged in the garbage." Yuffie sighed in relief at its disappearance.

"At least it's gone. What did you put in it?" Riku laughed at the expression of utter disgust that had filled Yuffie's face as she'd gotten rid of it.

"I don't know!" She laughed. "I think I must have put something stupid in it. I think...I put some...I could have sworn I'd done it right!"

"Maybe you didn't do anything wrong, maybe you're just the worst cook ever!" Riku put on a shocked face, staring at Yuffie with surprise.

"Looks like no breakfast for you, you meanie!" Yuffie grinned.

"Looks like that's so. Are we leaving now?" He asked. so when would they get there? How long would they have until they arrived? Not very long, that was for sure.

"I guess," Yuffie said, an uncharacteristic uncertainty drowning her tone.

"Then let's head out!" He wasn't excited, but he figured he might as well play along. Go willingly or get yanked violently by the wrist.

"Ok!" Yuffie's excitement was very apparent. She was the sort of person who couldn't keep her joys contained. She ran toward the door, then stopped, twirling around and holding her hands out in front of her. After she continued to run."Just wait a sec!" Yuffie hollered, as she dashed off, her short, dark hair flagging behind her.

"O..k?" Riku stood up. He stayed still, waiting for her to return. She appeared a short while later, cradling Kitty in her arms.

"We can go now," she smiled, cuddling the moogle plushie to her face.

They got lucky, as the bus seemed to show up soon after they arrived at the stop. Riku stepped up and payed their fares. They sat down, politely waiting for their stop to come.

The stars and the dark sky flashed by in silvery-black blurs.  
Riku leaned against the window, indulging in his usual habit of staring out the bus window. He didn't get too long to look, because they were very close to their destination.

"Wow, isn't that pretty?" Yuffie gasped as the world came into view.

"It's not bad, I guess," Riku replied. The bus landed smoothly on the ground.

"WE'RE HERE!" Yuffie cried out happily, bouncing off the bus. Riku walked off more slowly, smiling softly at her brightness. The door shut with a rusty clatter behind them. Riku looked around at the small houses that ran along the dusty dirt road.

_Everything is exactly the same. As if I'd never left. As if I'd never been here at all..._

"Amazing! Just look at this place!" Yuffie stared around with wide eyes. "It's so different!"

She ran up a hill and Riku ran after her. She gasped in wonder as she stood at the top. "This is so beautiful!"

"It's nothing," Riku gazed upon the sparkling blue ocean, mirroring the sky's hue of bright blue, with an bored expression. Yesterday's news.

"Maybe try to look at it a little differently than you usually do. See it like you haven't seen it, like, a billion times. Just look again. Sometimes things don't look quite the same a billion-and-one times." Yuffie suggested, staring off into the distance.

He closed his eyes, preparing to turn his thinking upside-down. Yuffie seemed to conduce that topsy-turvy, upside-down, flipped around sort of thinking. One could never think ordinary with Yuffie, you had to think extraordinary.

"Are you gonna open your eyes already?" Yuffie piped up, and he could feel the air from her hand waving in front of her face. He must have gotten lost in the black behind his eyes, to not notice that he'd been standing still with his eyes closed for a rather long while.

Riku opened his eyes, light pouring into the internal blackness he slipped into when his eyes closed. Sometimes things did seem different if you just switched the way you thought and looked again, Riku marveled. It didn't look too different, but he decided to use Yuffie's idea.

This time he saw it. It was home. Vivid blue ocean brushing vivid blue sky.  
The wind blowing the waves in a barely audible whistle. The clouds pure white and tinged with golden sunshine. The lustrous green palm leaves blowing gently in the silent wind.  
The sense that everything went on forever, just beyond the horizon. The comforting suspended feeling in the air. It was a strange mixture of memory and present. It never changed, it never would.

Destiny Islands was a beautiful place. He knew that. It was lovely- in more than just it's appearance.

"Catch me if you can!" He shouted, caught up in a familiar feeling. He ran down the hill to the shore. The sand glowed a bleached white color in the sun. He flung his arms wide apart, as he reached the point where the ocean met the sandy shores, connecting sea with shore. Wind pushed his silver hair back, the water lapped at his shoes. He tasted the salty sea-breeze on the air.

It was strange, funny, even, how such a familiar feeling could be so overwhelming when you hadn't felt it for so long. It almost felt like he'd gone back in time. Back to the way things were. How could it be just as it was all that time ago? Had it even been all that long ago? He stared pensively ahead.

"Gottcha!" Yuffie tackled him, giving him a jubilant hug. He realized he'd absently kept his arms held down. He lowered them, so they rested at his side again.

"Can you get off of me?" He asked in a cool manner. He'd been slipping into his thoughts, and was just the slightest bit irritated for being pulled away. He wasn't used to being taken out of his thoughts.

"You were too easy! You just stood there!" Yuffie laughed, pushing away from him.

"I wasn't playing. I don't play anymore." Riku said, so horribly hypocritical. He'd sure felt like he was playing as he was running down the hill. Talk about your teenage mood swings. He was too annoyed at the moment to see the effects of his words and tone of voice on Yuffie. He sighed and gazed over at her. She looked back at him, a shocked expression closely related to hurt flickered across her brown eyes. "I guess I should have ran a bit more, and faster might as well be added to that, while we're at it. I'm a tiny smidge rusty, I suppose," Riku pulled the humor back into his voice and flashed her a forced smile. She glanced at him and smiled a small smile.

"A _'tiny smidge'_ rusty!" She raised her eyebrows at him. They both stayed silent for a moment. Then, Riku began to chuckle quietly, and soon they were both genuinely laughing.

After they ceased laughing, they began to head over to the dock. Yuffie reached for his hand and pulled it into hers. They clamored over the wooden boards of the dock, causing it to shake and moan. The pair stood on the edge of the dock. Riku was tempted to push her off the dock, just to see how she would react, but remembering the stuffed animal she was clutching, he realized she'd kill him for that. She placed Kitty at the end of the dock and they sat down,  
gazing over the glinting expanse of water in silence.

"So, what do you really think?" Riku asked, breaking the momentary silence. His hand took all the islands in in a simple sweeping gesture.

"I love it. I don't know how, but it seems to fit you just right," Yuffie looked over at him, her eyes scanning him over and attempting to connect him by his looks and ways to the archipelago he'd spent most of his life living on. She gave up, staring out across the vast ocean. She closed her eyes and the wind played with her dark hair. The waves flowed in a calming fashion under their feet.

"It's because I've always been here. I guess, you could say, no matter how far I go, I still stay here. I always am connected back to this place. My home, my history." Riku looked at Yuffie's face, framed in golden afternoon sunlight. She glanced back at him and he made an exaggerated motion, pointing at his chest. He grinned. "It's all in here. Or at least that's what everyone has been telling me...It could be true."

"I guess it is," Yuffie smiled. "But, it could be something else. I'll figure it out."

Silence fell, wrapping around them like a thick blanket. Riku watched Yuffie as she stared down at the water, apparently in deep thought. She'd slipped her hand out of his grasp and was now watching the water slide through her fingers, as she moved her hand back and forth through the liquid. "What could it be?" She mumbled to herself, poking the water.

He smiled, it looked like Yuffie hadn't given up after all. Yuffie was stubborn, and she'd determined that she was going to figure out how he matched with his home.

"Take your time," he grinned at her. Yuffie looked up at him and smiled. She readied herself to go back to prodding determinedly at the water, but she stopped as realization, as well as a large smile, spread across her face.

"Aha!" Yuffie cried, punching her fist in the air. "I've got it!"

"What do you have?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And it was so obvious, too! I can't believe I didn't see it!" She scolded herself, going on about the absolute "obviousness" of whatever it was she happened to be ranting about.

"What?" Riku laughed, the expression on Yuffie's face was precious. A comical mixture of realization (almost scientific discovery, by that look) and mock self-anger.

"It was right there! Right there in front of me, literally!" She was giggling now, elated by her find.

"Annnnd, it iiiss--whaat?" Riku was going to have to drag it out of her, if he ever wanted to know what she was babbling about.

"Your eyes!" Yuffie burst out. Well, this going to take a little more dragging.

"What about them?" He tried, hoping that he might get a clearer response from her.

"They're the same color as the ocean! Ya'know, that exact shade of turquoise-y blue-green!" Yuffie looked exited,as she stared into his face, searching his eyes for something. He supposed his eyes shone with amusement at her antics. She pouted, indicating that that was not supposed to be his reaction.

"Wow!" Riku made his eyes widen and pulled his mouth into an "O" shape. Yuffie grinned, failing to re-form her lips into the pout they had been in a moment ago.

"No fair! It took me a loong time to come up with that and you _mock_ me!  
How _rude_!" She teased.

"Since when has being unimpressed been a crime?" Riku stated his defense.

"Always!" She answered his plainly rhetorical question, sticking her tongue at him to display her displeasure further.

"Cute, Yuffie," he continued laughing, as she fumed quietly. Yuffie crossed her arms,  
then uncrossed them, proclaiming her short-lived "anger" over.

"What did you do here when you were little?" Yuffie gazed at him, curiosity smoldering in her deep brown eyes.

"Not much." Riku remembered endless summer days, lazy dreams of grandeur, sword fights, racing, playing games, the papou tree, the Secret Place. Memories swirled around in his head. Yuffie probably would want to hear about all that stuff, so he decided to continue talking. He described many of his childhood adventures. Yuffie's eyes widened in interest, taking in his every word.

"Can I see the island you always went to?" Yuffie's eyes sparkled, as he finished with one of his last days of peace before his life was torn to shreds.

"Of course. Let's just see if my boat's still here..." Riku scanned the shore, searching for a place a slightly younger version of himself may have tied his boat up. Why did he always have to put that thing in the most ridiculous places? He'd never find it..."It has to be here, somewhere..." He groaned, realizing it was already at the island, tied up to the dock.

"Something wrong?" Yuffie asked.

"I left it at the island." Riku answered with an irritated sigh. He'd have to borrow someone else's. There was one tied to the dock. He stood up, stepping into the boat and sitting down. It looked like Sora's boat, if memory was serving him correctly. "We'll have to borrow Sora's. I'm almost certain he won't be angry. I'm not sure if it's possible for him to be mad about anything."

Yuffie hopped into the boat, setting it to wobble precariously.

"Woah!" She shouted, her arms spread out for balance.

"Sit _down!_" He yelled. She sat next to him and took up an oar. "Oh no, you don't, I'm rowing."

"Why can't I help?" Yuffie frowned, her hand griping on to the oar.

"Because, I'm willing to bet, you have no idea what you're doing," he answered her. Riku placed his hand on the oar, prising her fingers gently off of it.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Yuffie cried indignantly.

"I'm not letting you sink us," Riku said as she opened her mouth for further complaint, cutting her off hastily. He rowed as quickly as he could.

"Ouch! You hit me!" Yuffie whined. His elbow was bashing into her as he was rowing.

"Sorry about that. Just hold on a little longer. If you moved now, it might tip us over." He explained, his eyes fixed in a spot directly in front of him.

"Okay," Yuffie must have decided that perseverance was the best course of action.

They reached the shore. Riku climbed out of the boat, tying it to the dock. His eyes caught Yuffie pitifully attempting to scramble up onto the dock. She grabbed onto one of the wooden poles supporting the dock, and tried pushing herself up.

"Need some help?" He held out his hand. "I guess some ninjas just can't climb well." She glared at him and snatched his hand, clinging to the pole with her unoccupied arm. He pulled her up and she stood up straight next him.

"Thank you," she muttered begrudgingly.

"Where to first Yuffie?" He smiled at her.

"Anywhere you'd like," she said through gritted teeth. Her "ninja pride"  
had been mortally wounded.

"How 'bout I show you the Secret Place?" Riku asked, pointing it in the general direction it was in.

"Lead away, Riku!" Yuffie had rebounded amazingly.

"Looks like it's my turn to drag you." Riku grinned, tugging on her hand. He ran, Yuffie trailing behind him. She quickly gave up and ran along with him. "Almost there," he said needlessly. Everything was so close to everything else in this world. His gait switched to a walk and Yuffie followed suit.

"So, it's behind that waterfall?" Yuffie asked, swinging her arm, which took his along with it.

"Uh-huh," he nodded. Water rushed over them, chill and wet, as they passed through the waterfall.

"Would you look as that?" Yuffie shouted, her gaze flicking all around. Her hands felt along the cave wall, fingering each crude, childish scribble she came across. She scrutinized every inch of the wall.

"What do you think?" He was hoping she'd take the question to mean the place itself and not the graffiti coating the wall.

"It's got a nice feeling to it. Like there are so many years held in this small space." She seemed to have figured out the timeless essence Destiny Islands had to.

"Would you like to make a visual contribution," Riku couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face. He picked up two rocks from the cave floor and handed one of them to Yuffie.

"Why not?" Her grin reflected his own, as she knelt down near a piece of wall that had enough space to draw. She scratched her rock against the wall, producing white lines.

Yuffie rested her chin on one hand as she concentrated. Her hand went this way and that, the rock gliding over the cave wall. She leaned in close to the wall, her hair falling into her face. Yuffie tried to blow her hair out of the way, which failed as her hair was wet. She had to push it away with her hand.

"Tada!" Yuffie exclaimed, pulling away from her doodle. It was a line, with two smaller lines protruding from the top, and two clumps alongside the the first line, which were covered in designs.

"What is it?" He queried, squinting at the wall.

"A butterfly, silly!" She looked at him like the very thought of him unable to tell what it was was ridiculous.

"If you say so," Riku smiled, scraping his rock against the wall. He scrawled 'Yuffie' with an arrow toward her drawing.

"Yay, everyone will know I drew that thing." Yuffie pointed at it with slight disgust.

"I thought you liked it," Riku commented.

"I do." She replied.

"Alright." Yuffie was weird sometimes. Maybe some day he'd understand her.

She put the rock down and poked at the wooden door at the end of the small cave. "Does it open?"

"No." He answered quickly.

"Are you sure?" Yuffie stared at him with suspicion in her eyes. He should have known his sharp answer would have aroused her curiosity.

"I don't think it's opened more than once," he answered honestly.

"Alrighty, then," Yuffie looked around.

"Wanna go somewhere else?" Riku suggested.

"Sure!" Yuffie leaped over to the waterfall and hopped through. Water splashed into his face, as Riku walked out of the Secret Place behind Yuffie.

"I'll give you the 'Destiny Islands tour'. You'll be the first and you can give feedback suggesting changes and/or say that it is going nowhere fast and suggest its discontinuation." Riku tried to use the cold, and impersonal voice of the tour guide.

"Alright, I'd be willing to take your first tour. Pleasant weather,  
eh?" Yuffie smiled and held out her hand for him to shake.

"It's always pleasant, get over it," he commented rudely.

"With that attitude, I'll see to it that you get fired, mister?" Yuffie teased, mischief in her eyes.

"Fine, I'll be a boring tour guide," Riku grumbled in complaint.

"You could be Riku?" Yuffie suggested, her voice rose as if in a question.

"Whatever," he brushed her thought away. He snatched her wrist, giving it a mighty tug. "Let's get going, there's stuff to see!"

Riku showed Yuffie all around that island, giving another story with each place they stopped at. The last place to go was the Paopu tree. He scrambled up, sitting down. She looked up at him from his perch upon the bend tree.

"Any help?" He grinned. His eyes glittering with amusement, as she pushed his hand away and pushed herself up and into a sitting position. This was done with very little grace. She smiled triumphantly at Riku from her seat next to him. Her "ninja pride" was going to take some time to heal completely.

"So, what makes this place special?" Yuffie asked, searching for something that stood out. She looked under her. "Well, besides this wacky tree!"

"The "wacky" tree, is, in fact, the attraction," he informed her.

"Oh, okay. What makes it different from the others?" She questioned.

"I used to sit here with my friends all the time. It's a nice place. And, there's a ton of legends about these kinds of trees." Riku explained.

"What?" Yuffie asked, impatient for some kind of point to the latest (and possibly last) landmark of the tour.

"Well, there's this really lame legend that if you share the fruit of this tree with someone, your two destinies shalt be intertwined," Riku attempted at a mystical sounding voice, then he snorted. "Just something for all those irritating romance-obsessed girls to tell each other and dream about having one with some boy they like."

"Yeah, sounds like it," she laughed. She toyed with her headband, then suggested, "Why don't we head back to the other island? I bet Sora's missing his boat by now." She yanked his arm and jumped down. He jumped down with her, so that he wouldn't face any possible injury from a three foot fall.

"You okay?" He could have sworn that her cheeks had burned a soft red, when she'd been fiddling with her headband. He could not check at the moment, as she was not facing him. She was, no doubt, composing herself carefully.

He untied the boat from the dock and they both hopped into it. Without any argument on Yuffie's part, he rowed the boat over to the main island.

When they reached the island, he tied the boat up. He heard a familiar voice shout, "Hey Riku!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Now, stay still." He was sprawled flat out on the sand. Warmth embraced him from all sides. The sun on his face. The sand on his back. He closed his eyes, not to darkness, but to a soft orange glow. A sigh escaped his lips. The sounds of the wind whistling a pleasant tune through the palm trees and the waves lapping steadily at the shore lulled him into a half-consciousness.

"Com'on, Riku! Isn't there something we have to do?" Yuffie's fast voice exploded in his ears. The sound was close by. She was standing up, hovering above him. She tugged at his arm and snatching at his fingers, tried to pull him up. A small chuckle slipped from his mouth. Yuffie lived her life in a state of perpetual motion. She couldn't see that he wanted to stop to savor this feeling. The lethargy that had hung thickly about in his childhood. The chance to stop without everything changing around you. It was like air to the islanders. He'd been living for a long time without breathing.

Riku held firm. She would not, could not pull him up. He wanted to share the feeling with her. Tugging back, he tried to pull her down. Yuffie was far too determined to stay up.

"Hey, Yuffie," he started uncertainly, squinting up at her through thick streams of sunlight. "Why don't we just stop for awhile?"

"Fine." She couldn't have been completely averse to the idea or she would not have taken his outstretched and plopped down beside him. Yuffie slid her fingers in the gaps between his, fiddling with them. She tightened and loosened her grasp on his hand.

"Still." He held her hand firmly. It was hard to believe that she was older than Sora and Kairi. She fretted and fidgeted, bursting with life. The other two were lively, but knew when to relax. It was something the three of them had done since they were very little. They'd lay down when there was nothing else to do, their hands linked and eyes closed. They could stay like that for a long time, too. "Good."

Riku could tell that Yuffie was really trying. Occasionally, she would shift her position and wiggle around. But, he could tell that she stayed as still as she could. He let a luxurious and lengthly moment pass, then he opened his eyes a little. He used his unoccupied hand to shade his eyes from the piercing light. "You can sit up now."

He'd wanted to sit up gradually, get used to the sun's full glare, but Yuffie had other plans. She rose up quickly, haphazardly tugging him up with her into a world of bright colors and light.

Yuffie dragged him on with one hand and clung to Kitty's limp form with the other. She looked around her, gathering her bearings. Her brown eyes locked on the shape of a grotto nestled in dark rocks with a clear band of water flowing over into a nearby pool.

"Can we go to the Secret Place?" She blurted out.

"Okay." They walked together, hand in hand, to the little hole tucked behind stone and bright green foliage. Once inside, Yuffie plopped down, snatched up a stone and went to work. An expression of extreme concentration crumpled her brow as an entire army of chocobos and ninja stars was formed.

He found a stone and started to scratch at the rock wall. Riku let his hand mindlessly fling across the rock wall.

"Hey, quit copying me!" Yuffie shouted jokingly.

"Wha-?" He glanced up to catch a glimpse of a pair of rough Paopu fruits. He was surprised by the words that almost bubbled on his lips. _Would you like to share one with me? _He tried to laugh it off. She looked at him, one eyebrow slightly raised. He turned his gaze away from her, embarrassment sending scarlet to his cheeks. Now, where had that come from?

After a period of silence, Yuffie leaped to her feet, a sure sign that she wanted to leave.

He followed suit, rolling his eyes. She couldn't stay in one place for very long.

The wooden door creaked as she pushed it open. Further protest sounded as she danced up the steps. She continued to run until she'd plopped down onto the Paopu tree. She watched the water melt into the sky. She watched the same horizon he'd watched. His eyes had been glued to that line, bright and misty as he dreamed of what was beyond it. He found himself slipping back into his foolish younger self. It was hard to believe anything at all had changed. But, then again, the dark-haired girl sitting right where he'd always been was living proof.

"Did you ever wonder if there was anything out there? You know, before everything happened." He found himself saying. He was leaning against the tree.

"Yeah," Yuffie answered dreamily.

"This place feels so...small now." Maybe that was just growing up. You found out there were scarier things than the monsters in the dark and adults weren't as wise as you'd thought they were. They turned the lights on and told you there were no monsters, instead of warning you of the real ones.

"But doesn't it have it have that feeling? ...That no matter what happens, it's home?" Yuffie queried, her eyes still transfixed on that point in the distance.

"Yeah..." But he realized that it wasn't as permanent as he'd thought. It wasn't always there. It wasn't protecting him anymore; he had to protect it.

"Do you want to stay?" She asked.

"Not forever." He was still a wandering soul. He still wanted to really see everything . Not to have it rush around him. He wanted to examine it so he could remember it all forever.

He watched Yuffie as she sat, smiling and swinging her legs. He drank in every line, every detail, trying to remember it. Bright smile. Bright eyes reflecting a shimmering sun. Wind softly tussled her hair. She turned to him and tossed him a brilliant smile. Yuffie laughed, snatching his hand. They watched the waves lap the edge of the earth and the sky changing almost imperceptibly.

He closed his eyes, letting all sorts of sounds rush into his ears. The wind and the waves keeping life's rhythm. He could taste the salty air and the feel the rough tree bark and Yuffie's hand.

Riku opened his eyes. He smiled a small smile. Memory had to be the greatest camera. He would always remember this day.


	4. Chapter 4

Sora and Kairi were dragging Yuffie around the island. Riku watched them walking together, and smiled a little. He liked seeing the three of them together.

"How did I luck out?" His eyes followed them as they jumped in Sora's boat. He'd told them he wanted a little time to think. He liked to sit and watch the sun slide across the sky.

He sat on the Paopu tree, feeling as if he'd gone from the end of the world back to the beginning. He couldn't believe Yuffie had managed to drag him to come back home. To get him to swallow his pride and stay for a while. Somehow, he still felt like he belonged here. After all those years away from home, that surprised him. Perhaps nothing ever really changed. It just grew older.

Where had this all begun?

Riku could remember very clearly the day he had met Yuffie. He was wondering if that was where this had all started.

-annoying time skip-

Riku leaned against the stone wall, letting it support his weight. His head was tilted upward as he watched the drifting clouds with dreary disinterest.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, pulling away from the wall. He stood still, gazing up at the sky. He closed his eyes and released a long, tired sigh.

His eyes had grown weary of seeing. Every familiar sight in this world of sand-colored buildings, red roofs, and cobble-stone streets stirred up feelings he had been trying so hard to escape. He hated the way those old emotions remained, suffocating him. He had thought that by now they would no longer suit him.

He thought he'd grown up. But he was beginning to wonder if he never really had.

He opened his eyes slowly, as if he had just woken up.

"One," He started counting under his breath, letting himself fall between the cracks in the cobble-stones. Letting himself fall into the silence between the numbers. "Three."

"Four." On ten, he promised himself he'd turn around and look at it. He wondered if his nightmares had stretched it, distorted it into something that still held the lingering scent of the fear he always told himself he'd left behind.

He would know, if he'd only turn around and look at it. "Five."

"Six." He let the word fall into the air, passing through his gritted teeth followed by a lengthy, weary sigh. The wind laughed, running away with his breath and tossing it to the sky. The sadness, the exhaustion, however, remained locked in his heart.

"You're too scared to look. Too weak," He muttered to himself, shutting his eyes tightly. He was frustrated by his own weakness. He hated how vulnerable he was. No matter how much stronger he'd gotten, he still couldn't escape the fear that clung to the darkest corners of his heart, too afraid to embrace the light.

Simply put, he could not bring himself to turn around and look. So he stood there, by all appearances a frightened idiot frozen in place unable to do anything but sigh and talk to himself.

"Is there something wrong with you?" A voice assaulted his eardrums, breaking the silence. A body quickly followed the voice as a girl stepped into his line of vision. A few long, fast strides brought her right in front of him.

He wondered, fruitlessly, that if he closed his eyes she'd go away. He blinked rapidly, so as not to arouse her suspicion. He tried to mask his severe disappointment that she was still there after he had composed himself.

"You could say that." His voice was louder than he thought it would be. It hung in the air, smooth and confident, bearing no sign that he had not spoken to another person for such a long time.

She tossed him a strange look. One that spoke of curiosity mixed with a sprig of bewilderment.

"Where have you been hiding?" The girl asked, mischief dancing in her unfamiliar eyes. He started a little, looked up at her suddenly, gasping. She laughed as if she hadn't seen anything funnier all day. Perhaps she hadn't. Or maybe she just let everything wash over her, enjoying it all, like a child bobbing up and down in the waves, laughing as the water tickled her chin.

"I haven't been hiding." He pushed the words of his tongue vehemently, trying to convince himself more than her.

She laughed again. It was not a regal sound nor a feminine one. Having grown up with Kairi, Riku had thought that all girls laughed like her. Her hair falling in soft, red triangles against her cheek, as she shook with laughter. A sound like sweet music penetrating the air. This girl's laugh was not like silver bells tinkling.

But Riku found he liked it, nonetheless. It was a sound like the sun on a warm day. A sound that basked in its own joy and was determined to spread it to the shadows at the roots of the palm trees that grew together in thick clumps. That was why the sun moved. To spread the joy that filled her far past the brim.

His throat ached with all the laughter that was trapped in it. It escaped, rumbling in his throat. It tingled strangely on his tongue. He wasn't even aware of why he'd started. Or even when. Perhaps it was because she was here.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt better.

"I guess you're not from around here. I happen to be the Great Ninja Yuffie and I know everyone who lives here." She pointed at her chest with a vaguely pompous flourish.

"O-Oh," was all he managed to say. He was hoping she wouldn't ask who he was.

"Lemme see…" She rubbed her chin, as if she was deep in though. "I bet you're Riku."

He stared at her, his mouth hanging open a little.

"Sora's always talked about you," Yuffie explained with a tiny chuckle. "So you can close your mouth now. If it's open because you've just realized there's a bea-u-tiful girl in front of you, you may shut it as well." Her voice rose strangely on the "U" and she just stood there, grinning at him, as if she'd just said the cleverest thing in the world.

There was something he liked about her but he wasn't quite sure what.

"You're…" He searched for a word to describe her, but he couldn't find it.

She shrugged. "Yuffie?" She offered after a moment's pause.

Since nothing else seemed to fit, he went with it, nodding a little.

He found himself relaxing almost imperceptibly. He himself had barely realized it. Then, suddenly a hand smashed against his face, shooting pain into his cheek and sending a flash across his eyes.

"What was-?" He rubbed his face, watching her. Her eyes had a sharp, almost angry spark in them.

"You know what that was for." She cut him off. "I'm not sorry, too. This is my home and it's my job to protect it! Remember that!"

His hand fell from his face and his gaze was fixed on a spot just over her head.

"I understand. I'd hate me too if I was you." His voice grew quiet. "I hate myself sometimes, too."

He wasn't sure why he'd let that slip. He didn't just go around pouring his heart all over strangers. He didn't even say that sort of thing to Sora. Riku was a bit afraid of what he'd say.

It was as if Yuffie was coming out of a trance. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth with a smile on her face.

"I don't even know you. Why would I had you?"

Riku stared at her in confusion. He blinked a few times and shook his head. She was still there, dancing in place and watching him with that blank grin of hers.

"I guess I'd better give you a clean slate, right? I think you might deserve a second chance," Yuffie observed him carefully. "Why are you here, anyway?"

He smiled at the way she never seemed to give her enough time to breath, let alone answer her endless stream of questions. He was shocked by the way all her questions seemed to cut straight to his heart.

His eyes were drawn to a bird flying across the sky. He watched the bird dip and sway, spreading his feathers like fingertips as if to touch the clouds. Riku always had the feeling that flying was for the purest of hearts. Those with light burdens and free souls. He knew he'd never fly.

"You gonna answer?" Yuffie's voice sliced straight though his thoughts.

Riku lowered his head, tucking his chin below his collar to hide his smile and his scarlet-tinged cheeks. Thought consumed him once more. He sucked in his cheeks and furrowed his brow, searching for the answer.

"Oh," He started, his voice barely above a whisper. He swallowed nervously. "I wanted to see…the castle."

"Then, look at it." Yuffie pointed just over his shoulder. "It's right behind you, you know."

"I do." He sighed a little, wishing for his old confidence. He closed his eyes again. His leg was beginning to ache. Whenever he stood too long, the feeling in his leg reminded him of that night.

The driving rain pressing his hair against his face. Falling against the ground, his leg sending pain sweeping through him.

"What does it look like?" He could almost feel the soft cotton cloth pressed against his eyes, knotted in his hair. Once again, he could feel that twisted guilty sensation that shocked his heart every second he had realized that _it hurt to see the light. _"What do you see?"

"I see the future!" She threw her arms in the air grandly as if to embrace the glittering generality she had tossed so casually into the wind.

"What? How?" He was certain that if he turned around, he would only see ruin.

"We're gonna rebuild it! It'll be better than ever!" She smashed her fist into her open palm. She glowed with determination.

"Could I help?" Riku turned around, eyes closed tightly.

"Of course."

He couldn't help but smile as his eyes fluttered open.

Maybe it was the smile that masked everything. Maybe it warmed his heart and made him see everything a little differently.

He could see exactly what she meant.

"Thank you."


End file.
